


love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup

by nikmood



Series: the lucky one [2]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Toby says fuck a lot, au where they are working in new york together, c.j. is a total bamf, toby catches feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7856254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikmood/pseuds/nikmood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>C.J. starts working for Toby in New York and he starts to catch the feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a crazy idea I have for a series involving the two where they get together in New York where they first meet, and somehow "Danny's Song" is involved because I am chronically sleep deprived.

“Hi, I’m C.J. Sally told me I would be working with you, Mr. Ziegler.”

Toby scribbled in a yellow legal for a few more moments before acknowledging her presence. He looked up at the young woman and grunted. “Just what I need. A kid that fell off the turnip truck yesterday and wants to play in politics. Why should I even give you the time of day?”

C.J. grinned slowly and revealed two large paper cups from behind her back. She handed him the one in her right hand. “I come bearing gifts.”

He took the lid off and inhaled deeply, then took a tentative sip. “As black as my soul, smart choice. And this is not the swill from here. Where is this brew from?”

After taking a sip of her own cup, C.J. laughed. “It’s Colombian. I brew it fresh every morning, and I grind my own beans. Now, you were grunting about having to deal with kids and turnips, you grumpy jackass?”

Looking dazed, Toby muttered under his breath “Oh shit, I think I’m in trouble.” Clearing his throat, Toby told C.J. that she had the job as his assistant under two conditions. She couldn’t bug him when he was writing and she had to bring in coffee for him every day. 

Looking into her blue eyes Toby shyly said “And call me Toby.”

C.J. bit her lower lip slowly. “You have a deal, Toby. Play your cards right and I might tell you what C.J. actually stands for. Now, I might be the new kid on the block but I don’t think you guys are doing enough to reach out to female constituents, and it’s going to end up costing you precious votes, not to mention play out poor in the press.”

Audibly gulping, Toby managed to get out a strangled “The fuck? How do you know this?”

“Because the turnip truck I fell off of originated at Berkeley where I got my Master’s Degree in Political Science, and my undergrad was in Women’s Studies. So, I just might have an inkling as to what I’m talking about. And it’s now quarter after seven on a Friday night, so I’m going to go find a bar that serves halfway decent scotch, smoke too many cigarettes, and try to get laid. Care to join me?”

Tobias Zachary Ziegler was pretty sure he just had a small heart attack, and he knew if he continued dealing with her they would probably happen on a daily basis. But he looked at her, and it wasn’t her obvious beauty that drew him to her. He swore when he looked in her eyes he could see a family, a family with the two of them and maybe a couple of kids where before he had no hope of that. And it was this reason that he gulped down the water in the paper cup from the water cooler that she had handed him and agreed to go to a bar with her.

The trips to the bar down the street from the campaign headquarters grew to be a frequent occurrence between the two. Sometimes other staff would join them, other times the two would sit in a dark corner, sipping cheap scotch and smoking until the air formed a blue curtain of privacy around them, where knees and thighs and arms and shoulders could accidentally touch and then linger. They would discuss foreign and domestic policy, and Toby was shocked at how much C.J. knew. They would discuss women’s rights and music, and C.J. was impressed at how much Toby knew. The pair shared a love of old Hollywood, cold pizza, and staying up all night. The night that C.J. proved to Toby that she knew how to smoke a cigar, even “one of the rolled up ragweed things you are trying to pass off as cigars”, Toby found himself drinking her in intently, because he knew right then and there he never wanted to be without her. Which scared the shit out of him. So he downed the rest of his scotch, put out his cigar, threw a twenty on the table, and mumbled to C.J. that he had to go, he forgot he had a family thing. Smiling, she said okay and put her hand on his bicep to squeeze it goodbye. Toby shook her hand off like it burned, and sprinted for the door without looking back, so he wouldn’t have to see the look on C.J.’s face.

The next morning at the office Toby fully expected C.J. to tear him a new one, request to work with someone else, or even go work on another campaign. What he did not expect was a huge blue Yankees travel mug on his desk filled with her magic coffee, an egg bagel with herb cream cheese and crispy, still warm bacon in the middle wrapped in wax paper and tin foil, and a post-it stuck to the outside of the bagel that read _I can’t fully make it right until I know what I did, but please know I’m sorry for whatever it was that made you leave like that._ Toby started looking all over the office for C.J. frantically. He knew he had to make this right, and he had to make it right immediately. “Joe! You seen C.J.?” “Aaron, you seen C.J?” “Lily, have you seen C.J.?” “Hey, uh, kid that makes copies. You seen C.J.? The tall brilliant gorgeous redhead that works with me?” Toby gave not two fucks that he just told the entire office how he felt. He just needed to see C.J. and tell her how he felt, now. 

Frustrated, he wandered into the side room that they used for storage. Inside was C.J., sitting on a step ladder and drinking a chocolate milkshake that could quite possibly have booze in it. Toby cleared his throat and C.J.’s head shot up. He saw that she had been crying and he wanted to kick his own ass. “Oh, hey Toby. Sorry. I came in here to get some statistics on Asian voters. I’ll be right out.”

Toby looked at her softly. “Hey, no rush. I actually would like to talk to you. It’s about last night, but it’s a lot more than that. And this is incredibly difficult for me to admit to myself, let alone tell someone. So, if it’s okay with you, please let me get everything out and then say whatever you want, throw things at me, beat me about the head and shoulders with a fire extinguisher.” C.J nods. 

“You…you have affected me more than any other person I have ever met. You infuriate me, you inspire me, you challenge me, you aggravate me. You can drink circles around me. You have a way with phrasing things for the press that I’ve never seen. I think your legs are longer than I am tall. You are a witch when it comes to making coffee. You heard me mention my favorite comfort breakfast once, and when you think I’m upset because of something you, of all people, did, you go buy it and leave it on my desk. I have been alone all my life. I mean, I have my family and a few friends and coworkers, but I think you know what I mean when I say I’ve been alone. I’ve been comfortable with my solitude. Until you. I look into your eyes and I see a family where there once was none. A kid, maybe two. A scruffy dog. Last night I realized I never wanted to be without you, and I couldn’t just sit there next to you, watching you puff on one of my cigars and blow smoke rings, and smell your ginger perfume, and not blurt out how I feel. Or worse, try and make a move. I’m so sorry for making you feel like you did something wrong. You are everything right in my life.”

C.J. stood up from where she had been sitting on the ladder, her legs shaky, and walked over to where Toby was standing, looking down at the ground. Lifting his chin with her index finger, she kissed him, softly at first, then pouring all her feelings into the connection between them. Resting her forehead against his, she smiled softly. “All you ever had to do was ask. You are everything I never knew I always wanted.”


End file.
